Thrifty parents have found a way to produce their own version of one of this year's must-have Christmas toys for less than half the price, after the real thing was branded a 'waste of money'.

The UK's current best-selling toy range is L.O.L. Surprise!, including the Big Surprise ball - a large plastic casing that opens to reveal a collectible doll and 49 other separate gifts to unwrap, including some encased within bath bombs.

However, a Facebook post by Ciara Umar, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham went viral last month when she shared an underwhelming image of some small plastic dolls and a handful of miniature accessories.

Since then, members of the 600,000-strong Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group on Facebook have been experimenting with making their own take on the balls using papier mache and filling them with presents.

A thread about the DIY balls has since received 2,000 comments after thrifty blogger Holly Smith, who runs the group, urged people to share pictures of their efforts.

Parents have been sharing their efforts at creating alternatives to the L.O.L. Surprise! Big Surprise ball on a budget. Pictured: A homemade version created by Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK member, Kerrie Dunn

The real L.O.L. Suprise: The £59.99 products contains a collectible doll and 49 other separate gifts to unwrap, including some encased within bath bombs

Parents advise filling the ball up with cheap and cheerful gifts that shouldn't cost more than £20 to buy, such as this version made by Farrah Rehman

As well as Christmas themes, members have created other designs to appeal to their children, including Kinder Surprise, while others have gone as far as to recreate the LOL Surprise logo.

'I am so proud of how creative and helpful our followers can be,' Holly said. This another example how they can quickly find money saving alternatives and actually improve on the original idea,' she said.

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L.O.L. Surprise! came under fire from parents after Ciara Umar shared her experience on Facebook, saying she was 'mortified' when she saw the contents.

'Don't get me wrong, she was over the moon opening them and had five baths with the bath bombs, but then just went back to her iPad,' she said. 'The novelty wore off within 15 minutes.

Parents have been sharing their creative efforts with the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group, such as these Kinder Surprise versions made by Ainsley Dibb

'She got what was in the picture then there was five more surprises in the bath bombs. It's an absolute waste of money, it's not even a full ball either, it's only half a ball as the back is flat.'

The LOL Surprise comes in different sizes and ranges in price from £5.99 to the £59.99 for the 'Big Surprise'.

More than half a million of the smaller LOL toys have been sold in the UK since it was launched in March and it is now the nation's best-selling toy.

The limited edition Big Surprise has proved so popular that some retailers have set a limit of one ball per customer.

A Facebook post by Ciara Umar, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham went viral last month when she shared her disappointment with the contents of the L.O.L. Surprise ball

However many who read Mrs Umar's post explained they would no longer be buying one for their child's Christmas.

Christine Ruddy said: 'That's disgraceful, what a disappointment...won't be getting one now.'

Kelly Sawyer added: 'I'll tell my friend, her little girl is obsessed to have one. That's terrible, and I thought the Hatchimal was a rip-off.'

But not everyone feels the same and others have commented on Ciara's post to say they'd be happy to spend the money to bring a smile to their children's faces.

DIY versions of the L.O.L. Surprise. Cheryl McCulloch created this Spiderman surprise ball (left) while Emma Thomas opted for a Pokémon design (right)

Leah Racheal made a very impressive effort when she created a unicorn ball, inspired by the original L.O.L. Surprise ball

Nicola Mack said: 'Oh I know they are totally not worth the money. Olivia has her heart set on this, it's all she's asked for, I'd have a really unhappy little girl on Christmas morning if Santa doesn't bring this.

'It really is a lot of money for what you get, but I would pay this just to see the smile on her face.'

A brand spokesperson said: 'LOL Surprise is currently the best selling toy in the UK and a number of other countries. Prices range from £5.99 for the LOL Tots to £59.99 for the Big Surprise.

'The LOL Big Surprise contains 50 exclusive surprises that can't be found in other LOL products which individually are valued higher than the total RRP.'